As part of GMA's and Georgia City Solutions' "Jobs With Purpose: Municipal Workforce Development Initiative," the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia conducted a needs assessment during the second of half of 2021.
This assessment was done to gain a better understanding of the current municipal employment landscape in preparation for GMA's Municipal Workforce Advisory Council to begin its work to create a municipal workforce development strategy to close identified gaps and develop a strong talent pipeline.
The needs assessment produced nine key takeaways that will serve as a starting point for the Advisory Council’s strategy development efforts. They are the following:
- Georgia cities face challenges attracting applicants.
- The level of difficulty for attracting and retaining employees varies significantly by function and size.
- Half of Georgia municipalities have a skill shortage or anticipate one in the next 12-24 months.
- Traditional recruitment strategies reign supreme in municipal government.
- Common reasons for leaving include career changes, compensation, opportunities with other public sector employer, retirement, and opportunities with private sector employers.
- Municipal workers are slightly older than the Georgia average, but have a much lower turnover rate.
- Pay is a top challenge in Georgia’s cities while other benefits are very competitive with other employers.
- Few municipalities employ flexible work options.
- Most municipalities do not have succession plans or workforce plans in place.